Freight-car.



PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

-H. S. HART. FREIGHT GAR.

APPLIOATION FILED. JUN}! 27,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTBD SEPT. 19, 1905.

H. S. HART. FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 27,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW s GRAN-U4 co. PNOTD-LITMOGIAFNERS. msumamn. nv c.

UNITED STATES PA 'ENT OFFICE.

HARRY STILLSON HART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RODGER BALLAST CAR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FREIGHT-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905- Application filed June 27,1904, Serial No. 214,294.

To all whont it Netty concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY STILLsoN HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Freight-Cars, of which the .follbwing is a specification.

I This invention relates particularly to a freight-car which can be used either as a longitudinal hopper-car for carryin coal, ore, or other material in bulk or as a fiat-top or platform car for miscellaneous freight and which is convertible from one to the otherat will.

The principal object ofthe invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efiicient convertible dump-car, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

The invention consists principally in a convertible car in which there are combined a supporting-frame portion, a hopper-bottom secured thereto and extending below the same, movable side and end portions arranged to form the sides and ends of a dumpcar in one position and a platform-car in a second position, and movable stakesfor bracing the sides of the car and adjustable below the floor-line thereof, thus forming a substantially flat unobstructed flooring when said sides, ends, and stakes are in folded position.

of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my convertible car, showing one half of the car as erected to form the hopper and the other half with the movable parts of the hopper entirely removed and disclosing the underframing; Fig. 2, a plan of the car converted to a platform-car; Fig. 3, a partial side view and partial longitudinal section of the car, showing it as a hoppercar; Fig. 4, a side elevation showing the invention as a platform-car; Fig. 5, an end elevation showing one side of the car as a hopper and the other as a platform car, and Fig. 6 a transverse vertical section showing one side as a hopper and the other asfa platform car.

In the drawings the car is shown as provided with side sills 10, intermediate sills 11, a center sill 12 in the form of an inverted-T beam, needle-beams 13, end sills 14, transom 15, and supplemental intermediate sills 16, located between sills 11 and 12, but in a lower plane. The sills 10 and 11 extend from end to end of the car, but the sills 12 and 16 are entered or bolted at their ends in or to cross-beams 17, which connect sills 11 and are also bolted to longitudinal timbers or beams 18.

Below the level of the sills are the permanent parts of the hopperto wit, the full side 19, partial side 20, dumping-door 21, and ends 22. The arts 19, 20, and 21 are supported upon tl fe intermediate and supplemental sills and the ends 22 by the cross beam 17; The door is held closed by chains 23 and winding-shaft 24, the latter being provided with a ratchet-wheel 25,'pawl 26, and operating-lever 27 The movable parts of the car sides consist of a series of planks 28, which can be used to form a hopper, as shown, united at proper intervals by angle-irons 29 and top planks 30, and they are sustained in their raised po sition by a series of foldable stakes 31. These stakes are bolted to the sills 10 by bolts 33 and 34 and to plank 30 by bolts 35 and 36, and also to the angle-irons 29, as seen at 32, Fig. 6. The irons 29 are also bolted, when the hopper sides are raised, by bolts 37 to L- shaped metal pieces 38, secured to the intermediate sills 11.

To lower the movable sides in effecting conversion from a hopper to a platform car, v

the stakes are released from the hopper sides by taking out the bolts 32, 35, and 36 and also removing the upper bolts 33, connecting the stakes to the sills, and are then turned sidewise on the bottom bolts 34 to the position shown in Fig. 4, where they are, as it gitudinal pieces of angle-iron 280, with whichthe lowermost planks 28 are furnished, and which extend between the adjacent pairs of vertical ribs 29, are bolted to the central invertedT metal sill 12, as shown in said figure, and the ribs 29 rest upon the intermediate sills 11. The top lanks 30 are positioned upon the side sills, With their inner edges resting on the ribs 29, as at Fig. 6, and they, together with the plank 28 of the two sides, form a flat floor extending from side to side of the car.

The movable ends of the car consist 'of planks 42, held together by angle-iron ribs 41 and top planks 40, and they are supported to form the hopper by end stakes 43, bolted to the beams 18. The ribs 41 are bolted to the stakes by bolts 44 and are also attached to the beam 17 by suitable fastenings (not shown) and serve as braces to transmit the end thrust of the load to said beam and the center sill. The top planks are bolted directly to said end stakes by bolts 45. To lower the hopper ends, the bolts 44 and 45 are removed and the stakes 43 are detached from the car, thus permitting the lanks 40 and 42 to be positioned horizonta ly, as in Fig. 2. They thus complete the floor of the car, with the exception of the angles 46, 47, 48, and 49, which are covered by permanent flooring-pieces, though the piece 49 should be removable to give access to the chain-operating lever 27.

By this construction the car can be used as a platform or a hopper car, as desired, and be changed from one to the other at will, and the only parts employed in the hopper-car which are detached and not used in the platform-car are the end stakes.

The top planks 30 and 40 are useful in the hopper mainly to increase its capacity, and they may, if preferred, be permanently attached to the frame of the car instead of being changeable in position, and in such case the stakes should be shortened.

The ends of sill 12 are secured to crossbeam 17 by a metal union 50, bolted to the beam by bolts 51 and having one end forked and bent to conform to and embrace the web of sill 12, to which such ends are bolted by the bolt 52.

I claim 1. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame portion, a hopper-bottom secured thereto and extending below the same, movable side and end portions arranged to form the sides and ends of a dump-car in one position and a platformcar in a second position, and movable stakes for bracing the sides of the car and adjustable below the floor-line thereof, thus forming a substantially flat unobstructed flooring when said sides, ends and stakes are in folded position, substantially as described.

2. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame portion, a hopper-bottom secured thereto and extending below the same, movable side and end portions adapted when in one position to form the side and end portions of a hoppercar and in a second position to form the flat bottom of a platform-car, and adjustable stakes pivotally connected to the body of the car and radially movable thereon so as to brace the sides of the car when in one position and to be moved below the floor-line of the car when in a second position, substantially as described.

3. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame portion, a

of ahopper-car and when in another position to form a complete flat-floor platform-car, and a plurality of movable side stakes pivotally secured to the side frame of the car for bracing the sides, arranged to form a hopper-car and adjustable beneath the floorline so as to form a flat unobstructed platform-car, substantially as described.

4. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supportin -frame, a hopper therefor formed of fixed portions provided with a dumping-hopper door-frame and extending below the same and movable portions extending above the same so as to form a portion of the sides and ends of the hopper when in one position and complete a flat-floor latform-car when in a second position, en stakes for su porting the end portions, foldable side sta es pivotally secured to the frame of the car for bracing and holding the side portions of the hopper in position and adapted to be folded below the floorlevel of the car when in the second position, and upper side and end boards 30 and 40 secured to the upper ends of the side and end stakes respectively for bracing and assisting to hold the stakes and thereby the sides and ends of the car in position, substantially as described. 7

5. In a'c'ar of the class described, the combination of a frame portion provided with a center sill of inverted-T irons acting to sup ort the movable sides of the hopper when owered to form the floor of a platform-car, and movable portions adapted to form the sides of the car in one position and part of the flat floor in a second position, substantially as described.

6. In a car of the class described, the combination of a frame portion provided with changeable hopper sides carrying angle-irons 29, and a center sill to which said irons may be bolted substantially as described.

7. In a car of the class described, the comb nation of a car-frame having inclined ends provided with vertical ribs 41 supported at the top by end stakes and at the bottom by center sill, cross-beams 17 and a metal union cross-bea1ns17 and acting as braces to en- 50, substantially as described.

able the stakes to sustain the end thrust of the load in the hopper, substantially as de- HARRY STILLSON HART 5 scribed. Witnesses:

8; In a car of the class described, the com-. THOMAS F. SHERIDAN,

bination of a frame portion provided with a 3 ANNIE O. COURTENAY. 

